A Hundred Voices
by Esplandian
Summary: Collection of drabbles in response to the "100 Theme DBZ Art Challenge". 100 words per theme. 100 glimpses of fleeting moments forgotten between the epic battles of Dragon World. 3/100
1. Son Goku

**Disclaimer:** Dragon Ball/Z/GT is Akira Toriyama's property and brainchild. I don't receive any monetary remuneration for writing fanfiction.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>An ending precedes a beginning. Happy and auspicious 2012 for every single one of you!

And as far as beginnings go, a challenge is a good place to start: 100 themes, 100 words.

I will strive, in the best of my capacity, to provide you with a faithful translation of the Spanish DBZ fanfiction "Cien de sus voces" while maintaining the 100 word count. Please feel free to point any corrections that could be done in terms of form.

Dear reader, please lend your eyes and your ears for…

**"A Hundred Voices"**

**(Cien de sus voces)**

_100 Dragon Ball Universe drabbles_

by

_**Esplandian**_

__Dedicated to **American Vigor **and** Ren Rika, **who actually started this whole thing.

**I: SON GOKU**

Hunched up by the decades, alone between mountains of mist and bamboo, Son Gohan the Great contemplated upon a falling star, and wished for a hearth to share the martial arts that marked him, his stories of heroes, of his recounted battles won or lost, and his lessons learned by err and esteem.

Bamboo leaves fall and sprout announcing the new cycle; infant laughs answer to his own, aged voice.

To the tailed babe, the gift of the sky, Gohan donned with his surname and named him Son Goku.

Gohan couldn't hope more from life; life had given him all.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Translation is an art by its own. Translating literally is never enough in fanfiction: there's always a cultural charge permeating the tongue, and implicit intention beyond the words that could remain un-grasped without understanding the equivalence of cultural meaning from the source and the recipient languages.

I do thank American Vigor for the following passage, which is a beautiful adaptation (taken from his kind, published review to the Spanish version of the story), and my favorite translation in terms of making the content more endearing to English speakers. I felt truly honored by been translated by an author that I profoundly admire.

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><p><strong>I: SON GOKU<strong>

_Translated by __**American Vigor**_

"Made frail by the decades, alone in the mountains of mist and bamboo, the legendary Son Gohan contemplated upon a shooting star, and wished with his heart in order to share the martial arts that marked him, the histories of heroes, having achieved fighting victories or losses, and learning lessons by error and respect.

The leaves of bamboo wilted and returned with every new cycle, rising from infancy on their own.

A baby with a tail, a gift of the sky, he was given a name and he was called Son Goku.

Gohan couldn't have hoped for more from life, and he would therefore give Goku his all."


	2. Journey to the West

**II: JOURNEY TO THE WEST**

Nothing delighted little Son Goku as much as the tale of the priest who traveled with Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy.

Grandpa changed masks and voices between acrobatic stunts, disguised trainings as games.

Goku —painted mask and sacred staff—played the trickster Monkey King, the hero of shared name. He had done bad things in heavens above, but a good-hearted goddess gave him a second chance.

"Everyone in this life deserves them. Grant them, and see how it'll flourish all the good that dwell in their hearts."

The words of his grandfather were engraved in his essence, lasted in his soul.


	3. Earth

**III: EARTH**

They said Earth was a blue star. Four years ago he would not know; Namek's three suns never allowed darkness fall.

Great Elder Guru taught him, mind to mind, that friend meant loving reciprocity in times of need: a member of the Dragon Clan was bound by his alliances.

The staff was heavy, a burden akin to responsibility. Just a child, yet Dende did not think it twice when the home planet of his friends, Krillin and Gohan, required a new Kami-Sama.

His gratitude does not forget that it was on Earth, along with Gohan, where he met the stars.


End file.
